Paul North Rice (1888-1967) began working at the New York Public Library in 1914 and held various positions including Chief of the Preparation Division from 1820 to 1927. After serving as Director of the New York University Libraries, he was Chief...
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Paul North Rice (1888-1967) began working at the New York Public Library in 1914 and held various positions including Chief of the Preparation Division from 1820 to 1927. After serving as Director of the New York University Libraries, he was Chief (Director) of the Reference Department at the New York Public Library from 1937 to 1953 and then Librarian of Wesleyan University from 1953 to 1956. Records consist of Rice's subject files from 1938 to 1953, including correspondence dealing with topics such as student use of the Library, defense measures during World War II, statistics, and personal matters. Some Rice materials are included in the records of James W. Henderson.
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Richard De Gennaro (1926-) was Director of the New York Public Library from 1987 to 1990, at which time he assumed the position of Librarian of Harvard College. Prior to his appointment at N.Y.P.L., he had held senior library positions at Harvard...
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Richard De Gennaro (1926-) was Director of the New York Public Library from 1987 to 1990, at which time he assumed the position of Librarian of Harvard College. Prior to his appointment at N.Y.P.L., he had held senior library positions at Harvard and was the Director of Libraries at the University of Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1986. Records consist of De Gennaro's chronological file, 1987-1990; material on the FBI Library Awareness Program, 1987-1988; and the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), 1987-1990.
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The Library has usually had an architect on staff to coordinate construction projects and building renovations. This individual has also had custody of the architectural drawings created by the Library or by outside architectural firms. Records of...
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The Library has usually had an architect on staff to coordinate construction projects and building renovations. This individual has also had custody of the architectural drawings created by the Library or by outside architectural firms. Records of the New York Public Library Architect consist primarily of floor plans, architectural drawings and engineering drawings for the following buildings: Central Building, Lincoln Center and Library, Astor Library, Lenox Library, Tilden Library (proposed), Annex Building, Mid-Manhattan Branch Library, and Jefferson Market Branch Library. Records for Central Building include 100 Carrere & Hastings drawings and Laning mural drawings.
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The Councils of the New York Public Library are groups of citizens who work closely with the Board of Trustees to promote knowledge of and support for the Library. The first council to be created by the Board, in 1949, was the Women's Council, now...
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The Councils of the New York Public Library are groups of citizens who work closely with the Board of Trustees to promote knowledge of and support for the Library. The first council to be created by the Board, in 1949, was the Women's Council, now called the Council. Membership in it is by invitation of its own executive committee and numbered about 500 in the late 1960s. In 1975 membership was extended to men, occasioning the group's change of name. The Council organizes library tours and lectures for its members and was involved in the restoration of the Central Building. The other councils are: the Advisory Council established by the Board in the 1970s to provide assistance with fund raising, and the Branch Library Council which generates support for the Branch Libraries and their programs. Records consist of memoranda, program announcements, and related materials pertaining to the activities of The Council, the Advisory Council and the Branch Library Council.
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The Art Committee of the Board of Trustees, established in the Library's early years, has general supervision over pictures, paintings, statuary, and other objects of art belonging to the N.Y.P.L. Corporation. Records of the Art Committee consist...
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The Art Committee of the Board of Trustees, established in the Library's early years, has general supervision over pictures, paintings, statuary, and other objects of art belonging to the N.Y.P.L. Corporation. Records of the Art Committee consist of handwritten, typewritten and printed documents. They constitute the series Correspondence & Memoranda, 1966-1971, which includes memoranda regarding policies for the acceptance of works of art and correspondence concerning specific cases of acceptances and rejections.
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The Clerk of the New York Public Library was delegated by the Board of Trustees in its early years to carry out various official and legal duties. During the period of these records, the position was held by Alanson T. Briggs, who became the Agent...
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The Clerk of the New York Public Library was delegated by the Board of Trustees in its early years to carry out various official and legal duties. During the period of these records, the position was held by Alanson T. Briggs, who became the Agent for Carnegie Sites. Records of the Clerk constitute one series, Cathedral Library Correspondence, 1904-1905, which deals with the consolidation of the Cathedral Library with the New York Public Library.
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New York Public Library. Board of Trustees. Committee on Research Libraries

The Committee on Research Libraries was originally named the Library Committee when it was created by the N.Y.P.L. Board of Trustees shortly after the incorporation of the Library. The Library Committee stood to oversee the selection, arrangement...
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The Committee on Research Libraries was originally named the Library Committee when it was created by the N.Y.P.L. Board of Trustees shortly after the incorporation of the Library. The Library Committee stood to oversee the selection, arrangement and cataloging of noncirculating research materials at the Central Building. In 1953 the Committee was renamed the Reference Department Committee. In 1967 it received its current name. Today the Committee on Research Libraries makes recommendations to the Board on the collections and services of all the N.Y.P.L. Research units. The Committee consists of no fewer than five persons, a majority of whom must be trustees. It can establish ad hoc subcommittees and in 1977 formed the Subcommittee on Responsibilities Procedures. Records consist of minutes, correspondence, reports, memoranda and other materials that document the activities of the Committee on Research Libraries. Minutes, arranged chronologically, are records of meetings of the Committee on Research Libraries. Correspondence includes outgoing and incoming letters sorted roughly by date and subject. Memoranda are arranged chronologically. The CORL COBL Joint Meeting Minutes are minutes of the joint meetings of the Committee on Research Libraries and the Committee on Branch Libraries, arranged chronologically. Loan Lists are lists of research materials approved or not approved by the Committee for loan to extra-library exhibitions. The records of the Subcommittee on Responsibilities and Procedures constitute the series Memoranda (1977).
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New York Public Library. Board of Trustees. Committee on the Consolidation of the Astor, Lenox and Tilden Libraries

The Committee on Consoliation of the Astor, Lenox and Tilden Libraries was created in 1895 and reached an agreement to consolidate and establish the N.Y.P.L. on May 23 of that year. Its nine members were: T.M. Markoe, John L. Cadwalader, and...
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The Committee on Consoliation of the Astor, Lenox and Tilden Libraries was created in 1895 and reached an agreement to consolidate and establish the N.Y.P.L. on May 23 of that year. Its nine members were: T.M. Markoe, John L. Cadwalader, and Edward King, representing the Astor Library; Alexander Maitland, Frederick Sturges, and George L. Rives of the Lenox Library; and Lewis Cass Ledyard, Andrew H. Green, and Alexander E. Orr of the Tilden Trust. The records of the Committee on Consolidation of the Astor, Lenox and Tilden Libraries date from 1894 to 1899 and consist of legal papers and correspondence regarding the creation of the N.Y.P.L. Corporation.
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New York Public Library. Central Administration. Central Administrative Office

Certain routine activities of the New York Public Library are handled by the staff of the Central Administration and are referred to as originating in the Central Administrative Office. Records consist of reports and other materials concerning...
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Certain routine activities of the New York Public Library are handled by the staff of the Central Administration and are referred to as originating in the Central Administrative Office. Records consist of reports and other materials concerning library operations and activities. In addition to annual reports and statistics from 1897 on, there are consultants' and staff reports on financial planning, space allocation, library automation, cooperative library programs, regional access to information as well as management studies and evaluations of library procedures and programs. The collection also includes administrative memoranda; financial statements; file index, ca. 1915-1936; guides, handbooks, telephone books, and organization charts starting in 1914; rules of the Library, 1911-1941; subpoenas of library materials; and newsclippings from 1895 on.
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The Printing Office was established in 1911 and produced forms, pamphlets, catalog cards, reports, and other publications for the Library. At one time it was called the Printing Office and Bindery and was an auxiliary unit of the Business Office....
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The Printing Office was established in 1911 and produced forms, pamphlets, catalog cards, reports, and other publications for the Library. At one time it was called the Printing Office and Bindery and was an auxiliary unit of the Business Office. The name was changed to Duplicating Office by 1981. Collection includes printing job folders, 1910-1944; plate indexes, 1938-1964; composing room half-tones and etchings; sample forms; and miscellaneous galley proofs.
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Edward Geier Freehafer (1909-1985) was Director of the New York Public Library from 1954 to 1971. Except for a brief tenure in 1944-1945 as Assistant Librarian of the Brown University Library, he spent his entire career at the New York Public...
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Edward Geier Freehafer (1909-1985) was Director of the New York Public Library from 1954 to 1971. Except for a brief tenure in 1944-1945 as Assistant Librarian of the Brown University Library, he spent his entire career at the New York Public Library. Between 1932 and 1954, he was Chief of the American History and Genealogy Division, Chief of the Personnel Office and Chief of the Reference Department. He also served as Acting Director before assuming the directorship of the Library in 1954. Records include correspondence, memoranda and statistics relating to student use of the Library. Other Freehafter records are with the Central Administration collections and some materials are included in the records of James W. Henderson.
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Harry Miller Lydenberg (1874-1960) started at the Lenox Library, then served as administrative assistant to John Shaw Billings from 1899 to 1908, helping to plan the Central Building for the newly consolidated New York Public Library. He was the...
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Harry Miller Lydenberg (1874-1960) started at the Lenox Library, then served as administrative assistant to John Shaw Billings from 1899 to 1908, helping to plan the Central Building for the newly consolidated New York Public Library. He was the first Chief Reference Librarian from 1908 to 1927, and in 1928 became Assistant Director under Edwin H. Anderson, assuming the directorship in 1934. Records consist of 1921 Census of Books. Other Lydenberg records are included in Central Administration collections.
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New York Public Library. Board of Trustees. Interlibrary Cooperation Project Team

The Project Team was established by the Board of Trustees to consider the financial costs and benefits of cooperative programs. Membership included trustees, officers, staff, and outsiders. Records include background materials and the final report...
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The Project Team was established by the Board of Trustees to consider the financial costs and benefits of cooperative programs. Membership included trustees, officers, staff, and outsiders. Records include background materials and the final report of the Project Team.
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Keyes DeWitt Metcalf (1889-1983) was Chief of the Reference Department (called Research Libraries since 1966) from 1928 to 1937. Prior to that he held various positions at the New York Public Library including Chief of the Stacks, Executive...
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Keyes DeWitt Metcalf (1889-1983) was Chief of the Reference Department (called Research Libraries since 1966) from 1928 to 1937. Prior to that he held various positions at the New York Public Library including Chief of the Stacks, Executive Assistant, and Chief of the Preparation Division. After leaving the Library he was Director of the Harvard University Library until 1955. Records consist of Census of Books (1930), a survey of the Reference Department (1929), and study of the use of the Reference Department (1937).
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The New York Public Library Staff Association was formed in 1917. The Association's original purpose was to foster the social and physical well-being of the staff and bring together staff from the Reference Dept. and the Circulation Dept. By 1925,...
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The New York Public Library Staff Association was formed in 1917. The Association's original purpose was to foster the social and physical well-being of the staff and bring together staff from the Reference Dept. and the Circulation Dept. By 1925, issues such as benefits, pensions and library budgets became a primary concern. In 1942 the Staff Association merged with the associations of the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Borough Public Library to form the United Staff Association of the Public Libraries of the City of New York. Staff committees for the Circulation Dept. staff and Reference Dept. staff were created in 1947 and 1949. The Staff Committee continued until 1968 when the NYPL staff unionized under Local 1930, AFSCME. Records consist of Staff Association documents, minutes of the Executive Board, records of officers, and office files. Documents include original constitution and by-laws, 1917-1942, and additional constitutions with modifications. Minutes of Executive Board, 1917-1939, document official beginnings of the Staff Association and activities of the Association from 1917 to 1930. Officers group includes presidential records of Gerritt E. Fielstra and Shirley Dakin and records of the treasurer. Topical group contains subject/name index, subject files, Association publications, publicity materials, and records of the United Staff Association.
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The Space Committee of the N.Y.P.L. Board of Trustees was established in 1955 to discern the space needs of the various divisions in the Research Library. Its members were: Chairman Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., Edward G. Freehafer, Morris Hadley, Carl...
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The Space Committee of the N.Y.P.L. Board of Trustees was established in 1955 to discern the space needs of the various divisions in the Research Library. Its members were: Chairman Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., Edward G. Freehafer, Morris Hadley, Carl H. Pforzheimer, Roland L. Redmond, Deoch Fulton, and Rutherford D. Rogers. The committee was active through 1959. Records of the Space Committee span the years 1955 to 1959 and include supporting material from the 1940s before the Committee's founding. Correspondence consists of letters and memoranda from committee members. Reports, Studies & Plans are formal written findings of the Committee and supporting visual materials. Drawings are architectural space plans of the Central Building.
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The Finance Committee, one of the original standing committees of the Board of Trustees, has general direction of the N.Y.P.L. Corporation's finances, particularly the investment of funds. It consists of no fewer than three trustees, the Treasurer...
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The Finance Committee, one of the original standing committees of the Board of Trustees, has general direction of the N.Y.P.L. Corporation's finances, particularly the investment of funds. It consists of no fewer than three trustees, the Treasurer being ex-officio a member of the committee. Records consist of minutes, reports, correspondence and other materials that document the activities of the Finance Committee. Minutes are bound in volumes for each year and are records of Finance Committee meetings. Reports are printed summaries of finances issued annually by the committee. Correspondence & Other Records include some Treasurer's Reports, estimates for appropriations, and vouchers. Roland L. Redmond Files are correspondence retained by Redmond, who was a trustee from 1938 to 1969. The bulk of it is Finance Committee related correspondence between Redmond and the Board's Assistant Treasurer, the United States Trust Company. Copies of Board of Trustees Resolutions, arranged chronologically in three letterbooks, were presumably retained by the Finance Committee because of their stipulations regarding appropriations.
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The Executive Committee, one of the original standing committees of the Board of Trustees, takes general charge of the administration of the affairs of the N.Y.P.L. Corporation. It is empowered to act on behalf of the Board of Trustees in between...
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The Executive Committee, one of the original standing committees of the Board of Trustees, takes general charge of the administration of the affairs of the N.Y.P.L. Corporation. It is empowered to act on behalf of the Board of Trustees in between Board meetings. Records of the Executive Committee consist of handwritten, typewritten and printed documents as well as photographs and architectural drawings. Minutes are records of the meetings of the Executive Committee. To 1949 they are bound in volumes and early volumes include photographs of the Carnegie sites under construction. From 1967 the minutes are typewritten and loose. There are no minutes for the period 1950 to 1966. The Letterbooks consist of three volumes, 1902-1903, 1903-1906, and 1912-1928, of official letters written by the Executive Committee. Many of the letters are signed by John Shaw Billings or Edwin H. Anderson, who as Directors of the Library also served as Secretary to the Executive Committee. The bulk of Letters Received concern library construction and finances. The General Files are arranged alphabetically by subject. They relate to various Library matters but especially the construction of the Carnegie branch libraries and the Central Building, operations of the Circulation and Reference Departments, and finances. Central Building Files relate to the design, construction and maintenance of the Central Building, which were overseen primarily by the Executive Committee. Assorted Records include correspondence regarding the appointment of John Shaw Billings, as well as printed agreements between the City of New York and the Library regarding a pension plan for employees.
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New York Public Library. Central Administration. Public Education Program

The New York Public Library's Public Education Program (PEP) was established in 1983 as a forum for public lectures, panel discussions, interviews, and performances. Sound recordings in this collection consist of audiocassettes and digital sound...
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The New York Public Library's Public Education Program (PEP) was established in 1983 as a forum for public lectures, panel discussions, interviews, and performances. Sound recordings in this collection consist of audiocassettes and digital sound files of Public Education Programs that took place at The New York Public Library between 1983 and 2004, most between 1985 and 1988. Included are lectures, panel discussions, and presentations made in conjunction with Library exhibitions. The recordings showcase the diverse topics covered by Library programs, including modern literature, cinema, the history of New York City, current events, and community issues. Annual programs include those sponsored by the Library's Jewish Division, the Pforzheimer Lectures on the history of printing and the book arts, and the Book of the Month Club's "Art and Craft" of writing series. Well-known speakers in these recordings include Toni Morrison, Robert Caro, Alfred Kazin, Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass, Nat Hentoff, Gore Vidal, Joyce Carol Oates, and Joan Didion, among others.
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The Treasurer of the Board of Trustees is a member and officer of the Board, responsible for the financial matters of the N.Y.P.L. Corporation. Those who have served as Treasurer for the period of the records here described are: Edward King...
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The Treasurer of the Board of Trustees is a member and officer of the Board, responsible for the financial matters of the N.Y.P.L. Corporation. Those who have served as Treasurer for the period of the records here described are: Edward King (1895-1908), Edward Sheldon (1909-1933), Lewis Cass Ledyard, Jr. (1934-1935), Junius S. Morgan (1936-1942, 1952-1954), Henry Bruere (1943-1951), Dana T. Bartholomew (1955-1959), Grant Keehn (1960-1973), Bradford A. Warner (1974-1977), and Ralph E. Hansmann (1977-1985). Treasurer's Reports are the financial accountings of Library assets and expenditures issued annually. Correspondence concerns mostly bills of the Law and Executive Committees and the Circulation and Reference Departments. Director John Shaw Billings and N.Y.P.L. Business Superintendent I. Ferris Lockwood are the principal correspondents. Financial Statements & Budgets include budgets of the Treasurer and reviews of them and income and assets statements by outside accounting firms. Stock Holdings & Transactions include an 1897 Treasurer's Report of securities holdings, stock transaction receipts and letters.
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New York Public Library. Board of Trustees. Committee on Branch Libraries

The Committee on Branch Libraries, formerly the Circulation Department Committee, and prior to that, the Committee on Circulation, oversees the operation of the circulating libraries in the N.Y.P.L. system. It was established in 1901 as a standing...
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The Committee on Branch Libraries, formerly the Circulation Department Committee, and prior to that, the Committee on Circulation, oversees the operation of the circulating libraries in the N.Y.P.L. system. It was established in 1901 as a standing committee of the Board of Trustees and today consists of seven members, of whom at least a majority must be trustees. In 1978 the Committee on Branch Libraries was replaced by the Branch Libraries Council as a special advisory committee of the Corporation. Records consist of correspondence and minutes pertaining to the Branch Libraries. Correspondence & Book Balances, arranged in rough chronological order, consist of correspondence, much of it with the City of New York Board of Estimate regarding real estate, and figures on book appropriations. The Minutes are records of Committee meetings. There are no records for the period from 1928 to 1967.
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NYPL Archives Record Group 1 consists of the records of the Astor Library, a non-circulating reference library established in 1849 by the terms of the will of John Jacob Astor. In 1895 the Astor Library was consolidated with the Lenox Library and...
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NYPL Archives Record Group 1 consists of the records of the Astor Library, a non-circulating reference library established in 1849 by the terms of the will of John Jacob Astor. In 1895 the Astor Library was consolidated with the Lenox Library and the Tilden Trust to form The New York Public Library.
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Alanson T. Briggs (1871-1946) served as Agent for Carnegie Sites of The New York Public Library from 1901-1910. He assisted the Board of Trustees in selecting sites for branch libraries, appraised them in conjunction with the Board of Appraisors,...
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Alanson T. Briggs (1871-1946) served as Agent for Carnegie Sites of The New York Public Library from 1901-1910. He assisted the Board of Trustees in selecting sites for branch libraries, appraised them in conjunction with the Board of Appraisors, and negotiated their purchase for the Carnegie program. During this period he also served as Agent for the Carnegie programs in Queens and Brooklyn.
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New York Public Library. Central Administration. Business Superintendent

Ferris Lockwood was appointed Business Superintendent of The New York Public Library shortly after the institution's founding in 1895. Correspondence pertaining to the physical plant of various NYPL branch libraries and the Central Building.

Harry J. Grumpelt served as Bursar of the Library for many years until his retirement in 1950. New York Public Library Reference Department account books, and a study of Reference Department finances with related research materials.

New York Public Library. Central Administration. Building Superintendent

Records of three founding members of The New York Public Library Board of Trustees: John L. Cadwalader, Lewis Cass Ledyard and George Lockhart Rives. Records document the founding and early years of The Library.

The 115th Street Branch of The New York Public Library was opened in 1908. The library building was designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White and was constructed with funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. Publicity materials and...
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The 115th Street Branch of The New York Public Library was opened in 1908. The library building was designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White and was constructed with funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. Publicity materials and administrative files documenting the operations of the 115th Street Branch of The New York Public Library.
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